CHARLESTON, S.C.—He’s not even a candidate yet and Rick Perry already has accomplished an amazing feat of messaging.

Just about everyone here at the RedState Gathering of conservative bloggers and activists is familiar with one thing about the Texas governor: He’s a job creator.

On Friday night, the attendees were abuzz with anticipation of Perry’s scheduled Saturday afternoon campaign announcement, cautiously hopeful that he could be the candidate they’ve been holding out for.

“What I know about him is the fact that Texas is practically the only state that has created jobs,” said 81-year-old Doris Davidson, a retired teacher from Raleigh, N.C. “Isn’t that what people need right now? Everything else is farther down the list.”

The conference, intended to be a low-key, grass-roots gathering, has turned into a full-blown media scrum since it was reported early in the week that Perry’s previously scheduled speech there would be his presidential kickoff.

Even though it’s happening the same day as the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa, Perry’s 1 p.m. speech is slated to be carried live by CNN, Fox News and C-SPAN, according to RedState organizers. The number of media covering the event went from less than 20 a week ago to about 110 as of Friday night.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who appeared at the gathering Friday night to give a speech that was closed to the press, told POLITICO in an interview that he welcomed his fellow Southern governor to the race.

“I’m competing with him every day for jobs, and so far this year he’s generated a few more in Texas than I have in Florida,” said Scott, who hasn’t endorsed a presidential candidate. He said the two shared a philosophy of lower taxes, less regulation and limiting litigation.

“Whoever wins next year will be whoever has the best blueprint for job creation,” Scott added. “We’ve generated 85,000 jobs in Florida this year, second to Texas. Every day I wake up and say, ‘How can I generate more jobs than Rick Perry?’”

The activists gathered for the RedState confab had high hopes that Perry could blow the existing GOP field out of the water.

Doris Davidson’s friend Sandra Patterson, 74, said she watched Thursday night’s Republican primary debate and it seemed like a lot of petty sniping. She especially disliked Tim Pawlenty’s attacks on Michele Bachmann, which she found “very nasty.”

Both of the women said they were looking for a candidate who could rise above the fray while keeping the courage of his convictions. They are hoping Perry will prove to be that candidate.

Jan and Patricia Coetsee, a husband and wife who drove nearly four hours from Charlotte, said they were looking for an alternative to the current field.

“He looks presidential, and none of the existing candidates excite us very much,” Jan said.

“He’s a good Christian and he’s done a good job in Texas,” Patricia added. “Jobs — that’s the most important thing.”

Jeff Short, 49, a physician in Charleston, wanted to check out Perry and “kick the tires a little bit.” If not Perry, he and his wife, Lisa, said they like Michele Bachmann because she’s spent time in South Carolina and seems like a true conservative.

Some of those in attendance had already gotten to know Perry, like Tina Montgomery, a 39-year-old school district worker from Pflugerville, Texas, outside Austin.

“I love him. I’ve voted for him every time,” Montgomery said. “He’s done a great job on jobs and the economy. Texas is doing better than just about any other state. And I think he listens to the people. He’s a good governor and he’ll be an excellent president. He’ll put the country back on track.”

The RedStaters interviewed all said electability was their primary concern — beating Obama trumped ideological purity. But only to a point. They also wanted someone who wouldn’t compromise too much.

“The Republican machine seems to be in favor of [Mitt] Romney, and that bothers me because I don’t think Romney is different enough than Obama to justify [electing him],” said Jeff Dimit, a 50-year-old Air Force civilian employee and self-described libertarian who lives in the Charleston area. “He’s another George W. Bush-style, me-too RINO quasi-socialist.”

Dimit is looking for a more presidential-seeming version of Ron Paul — one who can withstand the “Obama propaganda machine” and actually get elected. Is it Perry? “I don’t know,” he said. “I guess I want to know how tough this guy is.”